Ants are small but they are very resourceful and hardworking. They have three body parts namely the head, thorax and abdomen. They have six legs and two antennae on their heads.

Ants tell their comrades where to find food by using their antennae to communicate. When they bump into one another, they always stop as if they are saying hello. I think ants are the politest creatures on earth.

These little insects build their nests under the ground. You can tell if there is an ant nest when you see a mound of soil on the ground. This mound is called an anthill. There are many chambers and tunnels in the ant nest. A small nest can have more than 8,000 ants. The queen ant, the soldier ants and the worker ants all live in the nest together.

The worker ants work very hard to build the nest by digging tunnels and chambers below the ground. They are also responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their home. They work as a team with the soldier ants to bring home food for their queen and the entire colony.

The queen ant has a special chamber all to herself. I guess queens, be they animals or humans are all treated royally. They are well pampered, fed with the choicest food, guarded round the clock and do not have to lift a finger to perform any work except to produce more ants. The queen ant’s only duties are to mate with the drones and lays eggs, lots of eggs. In fact, a single queen ant can lay up to 300,000 eggs over a few days.

The soldier ants defend their nest and fight against their enemies or invaders. They protect the worker ants when they go hunting for food. The soldier ants are very brave because they fight to death in a battle.

There are more than 20,000 species of ants in the world. They have existed for more than 100 million years. That means they are hardier than the dinosaurs which had been extinct for ages. Now who says size matter?

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Ant Quotes:

Ants are good citizens. They place group interests first. ~Clarence Day

When many work together for a goal, great things may be accomplished. It is said a lion cub was killed by a single colony of ants. ~Saskya Pandita